Louisiana
State of Louisiana
État de Louisiane
Flag of Louisiana
Seal of Louisiana
Nickname(s): Bayou State • Child of the
Mississippi
Creole State • Pelican State (official) •
Sportsman’s Paradise • Sugar State
Motto(s): Union, Justice, and Confidence
Union, justice, et confiance (French)
Lunyon, justis, et confyans (Louisiana Creole)
Official
language(s)
De jure: None
De facto: English and
French
Demonym
Louisianian, Louisianais
(French)
Capital
Baton Rouge
Largest city
New Orleans[1][2][3]
Largest metro
area
New Orleans metro area
Area
Ranked 31st in the US
- Total
51,885 sq mi
(135,382 km²)
- Width
130 miles (210 km)
- Length
379 miles (610 km)
- % water
16
- Latitude
28°56′ N to 33°01′ N
- Longitude
88°49′ W to 94°03′ W
Population
Ranked 25th in the US
- Total
4,410,796 (2008 est.)[4]
4,468,976 (2000)
- Density
102.59/sq mi (39.61/km²)
Ranked 24th in the US
Elevation
- Highest point
Driskill Mountain[5]
535 ft (163 m)
- Mean
98 ft (30 m)
- Lowest point
New Orleans[5]
-8 ft (-2 m)
Admission to
Union
April 30, 1812 (18th)
Governor
Bobby Jindal (R)
Lieutenant
Governor
Mitch Landrieu (D)
U.S. Senators
Mary Landrieu (D)
David Vitter (R)
U.S. House
delegation
6 Republicans, 1
Democrat (list)
Time zone
Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations
LA US-LA
Website
www.louisiana.gov
The State of Louisiana (
/luːˌiːziːˈænə/ or
/ˌluːziːˈænə/ , French: État de Louisiane,
pronounced
[lwizjan] ) is a state located in
the southern region of the United States of
America. Its capital
is Baton Rouge and
largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the
only state divided into parishes, which are
local governments equivalent to counties.
The largest parish by population is Jefferson
Parish, and the largest by land area is
Cameron Parish.
Some Louisiana urban environments have
a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being
so strongly influenced by an admixture of
18th century French, Spanish and African
cultures that they have been considered
somewhat exceptional in the U.S. Before the
American influx and statehood at the begin-
ning of the 19t